I'm grateful to be able to reach out with a question.
So im new to swimming. Never been good at it so I got some long fins to help my kick. Long story short I got so into it having so much fun I would do like 30 round trip laps every day on the kick board with no stretching afterwards. In the beginning I felt just fine. But after around two months I realized I was starting to get super tight all up and down my legs. So much so that my hamstrings are now like steel and pulling very tightly on my low back.
Its clear that i probably need to cut down how much I swim and also stretch as much as I can each time I finish.
but the question is how to proceed now that I have steel cables for muscles...I feel like I need to make up for two months of no stretching but that is obviously impossible. Does anyone have experience doing something foolish like this due to over ambition and just plain enjoying themselves? I'm bummed because my back has been aching even after a week of rest and I want to get back into it. Any thoughts?
im 44 if it makes any difference.
Thanks and glad to be here.
I often get serious back pain when my legs and hips are too tight. Start a daily stretching routine at home to loosen up your hamstrings and hip flexors. If you are open to trying yoga, I have found this to be the best preventative medicine for keeping my legs and hips loose and back relatively pain free.
A get well quick fix is definitely a good massage...go deep tissue if you can stand it. Then you can start fresh in the pool, while remembering to thoroughly stretch afterwards.
I often get serious back pain when my legs and hips are too tight. Start a daily stretching routine at home to loosen up your hamstrings and hip flexors. If you are open to trying yoga, I have found this to be the best preventative medicine for keeping my legs and hips loose and back relatively pain free.
A get well quick fix is definitely a good massage...go deep tissue if you can stand it. Then you can start fresh in the pool, while remembering to thoroughly stretch afterwards.
